I also have access to all 12,000-plus entries in our record book dating back to 1958. One pattern I've noticed is that the majority of bow-killed entries are taken during the pre-rut phase in early November. However, the majority of what I call "top-end bucks" (with net scores over 170 inches) are taken during the second half of November or later in the rut. I'm seriously starting to rethink when to schedule my vacation!

BUCK FEVER
Each year, some of the very best bucks are taken by novice or inexperienced hunters. I believe part of this is due to the fact that a novice hunter is less likely to get overly excited at the moment of truth. Some will argue that an experienced hunter should be more prepared, and this is true. However, how do you prepare for the adrenaline rush that hits the moment the buck of a lifetime steps into range?

REDUCING HUMAN ODOR IS INCONVENIENT
OK, I admit it. I'm neurotic about scent reduction! I shower in scent-free soap before each hunt, both morning and evening. I dry off with a fresh towel that's also been washed in scent-free soap. I brush my teeth before each hunt with baking soda and peroxide toothpaste. All my undergarments are washed in scent-free soap and stored in scent-free containers. I wear three carbon-layered suits on top of Medalist X-STATIC underwear in the early season and as many as five carbon suits when the weather cools off.

I never wear my outer garments in the truck and always dress in the field, regardless of weather conditions or temperature. I spray down my equipment with scent eliminator before every hunt. Despite all of this, sometimes I still get winded . . . a lot less than I used to before taking these precautions, but if conditions are right, or wrong, I'm still busted!

I've heard of hunters who become vegetarians a month before and during hunting season who claim they never get winded. The theory is that carnivores give off specific smells that herbivores find offensive. If I ever get real serious about this hunting stuff, I'm going to try this approach some day!

TREE STANDS
I don't own a climbing tree stand. Not that they don't have their place in the deer woods. But I never hunt from single or straight trunk trees. All my stands are fixed position in multi-trunk trees. The more branches to break up my outline the better, and my stand sites are usually in place long before hunting season starts.

BEDDING AREAS
You hear a lot about bedding areas. If we're talking about a 500-acre agricultural field bordered by a 20-acre swamp bottom thicket, then a bedding area might be pretty easy to spot. In the large wooded areas that I hunt, deer bed wherever they get tired. After a fresh snow, I've observed deer beds in the bottoms, up on top and everywhere in between. Sometimes deer bed in thick cover and sometimes they bed in open hardwoods. When it's really cold, my experience has been that deer tend to rest on southern-facing slopes. If the habitat is all the same, I'll usually find fresh beds higher up on the ridge.

THE KEY TO SUCCESS
Successful hunting, like most endeavors, is almost always the result of diligence, persistence and learning from your mistakes. Yes, monster bucks are taken every year by lucky hunters who never paid their dues. And lightning strikes the earth every day, but how often does it strike the same place twice? Every successful hunter I know who consistently harvests top-end bucks relevant to the areas he or she hunts works at it very hard. These hunters are students of the game.

I believe in luck. And you know what? The harder I try, the luckier I become!

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